LABKULTUR is a European webmagazine for culture and creativity. Over 20 authors from the Ruhr area, London, Rotterdam, Istanbul, Nantes and Košice report on cities within the world of digital and social change. They study the influence that culture has on city development and analyse the production and life situations of artists and creatives. LABKULTUR understands creativity as the engine of urban future. It is a project of the European centre for creative economy.

OURcity project comes to a close with the publication of the report “How was it for you?” which builds on a small scale in-depth qualitative survey conducted for OURcity project by our colleague Dina Fuad-Luke. The survey was planned and carried out in October-November 2012 and the report was completed in December 2012. In order to carry out the survey and prepare this report OURcity applied for and received financial support by the City of Helsinki ‘s Human Resources Centre, Immigration Division. The aim of the survey was to investigate the perceptions and experiences immigrants in the suburb of Meri-Rastila in East Helsinki have about social and health public services. The report itself builds upon the testimonies of 18 interviewees who we sincerely thank. OURcity wishes that the report does justice to their voices. To get the full report please click the following link: HOW WAS IT FOR YOU analysis1with appendix

OURcity is coming to a close by the end of 2012. We, the members of OURcity group, have decided that after the end of our project we will stop updating this blog. When this happens the blog will be an online documentation of OURCity project and will become part of the World Design Capital Helsinki 2012 history.

One of the initiatives of OURcity project has been the drafting of the Alternative Master Plan (AMP) for Meri-Rastila. This particular initiative has got a life of its own, and continues to steer discussions. Everyone in OURcity is happy with the success of AMP.

You can follow the discussions about the Alternative Master-Plan here:

In http://www.sarela.fi/meri-rastila-viela-kerran/ you can follow one of the most recent discussions (29th of November 2012). It must be clear that online public discussions taking place around the activities of OURcity project, are not guided by the members of OURcity group. Nevertheless, we are pleased that OURcity brings attention to the case of Meri-Rastila, the provision of services to immigrants, intercultural communication, and to the need for more inclusive and participatory planning processes.

OUTReach would like to thank all the 16 participants who took part in the recent survey aimed at finding out about how people from immigrant background access and experience the public services available in Finland. We are grateful for their time and most of all for placing their trust in us and allowing themselves to be as candid as possible during the interviews.

Outreach would also like to give our special thanks to the interpreters, Adam Adam, Fatma Yasa and Alexandra Khalitov who helped us throughout the interviews. Thanks too, to Jaana Pylkkänen for helping with establishing contacts in Meri-Rastila and for lending us her office for use as a private interview space.

Last but not least, we are grateful to the Human Resources Centre, Immigration Division, Helsingin Kaupunki, who assisted in funding the survey via the Personnel Centre’s Grant for Capacity Building for Immigrant Associations.

We are now in the process of collating the data. The findings will be made known in 2013 and plans for post-survey consultative activities are being considered.